Beads and Strands: Reflections of an African Woman on Christianity in Africa

by Mercy Amba Oduyoye

Overview

Mercy Oduyoye's latest book gathers a wealth of insights under three headings -- "Africa and Redemption"; "Global Issues in African Perspective"; and "Women, Tradition, and the Gospel in Africa". Although some essays have been published in earlier works, everything in this volume has been carefully revised and, in some cases, abridged. Oduyoye takes great pains to bring Akan and other African traditions into correlation with Biblical stories and show the reader how African wisdom offers deep insights into timeless episodes and themes. Above all, Beads and Strands gives us access to how one of Africa's most noted women sees the state and roles of women in Africa today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570755439
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	07/28/2013
Series:	Theology in Africa Ser.
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgements	ix
	Introduction: The Girl Called Amba Ewudziwa	xi
Part I	Africa and Redemption
Chapter 1	Created and Redeemed	3
	The exodus event	3
	Our burden	4
	Leaving the old behind	5
	Multiple burdens	8
	Decoding the exodus	8
	References	11
Chapter 2	Except God	12
	Creation as liberation	12
	Owner of the earth	14
	References	16
Chapter 3	Jesus Saves	18
	Salvation and liberation	18
	Who needs a Saviour?	19
	The Warrior-Saviour of the Hebrew Scriptures	19
	Our reconciliation	20
	The One who redeems us	21
	Jesus the Saviour	24
	References	25
Chapter 4	Covenant and Community	27
	Agreeing to live together	27
	Old Testament covenants	29
	The Flood and the rainbow	29
	Abrahamic covenants	29
	Covenant at Sinai	30
	New Testament covenant	31
	Covenant old and new	31
	References	34
Part II	Global Issues in African Perspective
Chapter 5	Conversations on Peace: A letter to Milan Opocensky on his 65th birthday	37
	Our common heritage	38
	Conversations on peace	39
	Peace and liberation	39
	Talking of peace	41
	A concrete and holistic approach	42
	Pursuing peace	43
Chapter 6	The People Next Door: An essay in honour of Kosuke Koyama	45
	Who is my neighbour?	45
	The earth, a neighbourhood	46
	A community of neighbours	47
	The world as a neighbourhood	50
	The satiated neighbour	51
	Faith communities	52
	Gender	53
	The unacknowledged neighbour	54
	The neighbour as the self	55
	References	56
Chapter 7	Poverty and Motherhood	57
	The penalty of motherhood	58
	The impoverishment of women	59
	A child belongs to the mother	61
	God's economy	62
Part III	Women, Tradition and the Gospel in Africa
Chapter 8	The Fire of the Smoke	67
	African women and liberation	69
	Why respond to feminism?	71
	Issues for the new woman in the new Africa	74
	References	76
Chapter 9	Women and Ritual in Africa	78
	Women in African religion	79
	The importance of ritual	79
	Birth	79
	Puberty	80
	Marriage	81
	Birthing	81
	Death	81
	Mourning	82
	Rituals: A matter of religious belief	83
	The 'bio-logic' of ritual	83
	Participation of women in ritual	84
	Issues for further research	85
	Holiness and the wholeness of the female	86
	Sexuality, marriage and covenant	87
	In conclusion	88
	References	89
Chapter 10	Calling the Church to Account	90
	Women and Scripture	91
	On worship	93
	On God and gender	94
	On women	96
	The Spirit	97
	A call for change	99
	References	100
Chapter 11	Conclusion: Beads and strands	102
	Patriarchies	106
	References	109
	Publications of Mercy Amba Oduyoye	110